As we mark three years since we launched the first edition of the Young Water Fellowship programme, we are excited to announce a new strategy for the Fellowship that will help increase the scale and impact of our programme.
From Global to Local
While the first three editions of the YWF were global in scale with just a few entrepreneurs from each continent being selected for each edition, we will now focus on implementing the YWF at regional and national levels over the coming years. These national and regional editions will not only create instant networks of young social entrepreneurs operating within a common context but,...

2018 Young Water Fellow Jacob Amengor (Ghana) has recently completed and inaugurated the solar-powered water kiosk in Abutia Amesianyakope that he built as his pilot project for the Young Water Fellowship 2018 Global edition.
Jacob is co founder of Givers Care Foundation and its iWASH Africa initiative, whose mission is to construct community-run integrated water and sanitation facilities in rural communities. His pilot project was funded by the Global Water Partnership through Young Water Solutions, and benefits 750 residents of Abutia Amesianyakope with its 10,000-litres/day borehole.
Jacob is looking for new partnerships to mechanize the water kiosk (through a water ATM) and build new...

Students from partner school Koninklijk Atheneum Zottegem (Belgium), visited in February some of our projects in Uganda.
Guided by our YWF East Africa coordinator Sheila Ruyondo, they visited the rain harvesting systems that KA Zottegem funded in two primary schools and a Health Centre in Hakibale in 2017.
They also visited our 2019 Global Young Water Fellow Everlyne Nabakka and her Eco Sanitary business office in Mukono, where she is piloting her biodegradable pads made from banana stems, to improve access to menstrual hygiene, thanks to the support provided by Vivaqua.
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Nuha Anfaresi, a 20-years old 2018 Young Water Fellow from Indonesia, is the founder of Aikite, social business that produces biosand filters for communities in the island of Bangka, where water is polluted with heavy metals. She recently completed her pilot project supported by Aquafin, that consisted in installing and testing a community filter in Labuh Village that filters 40,000 litres a day for about 50 community members. Well done Nuha, you inspire us all!
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We are thrilled to announce that in 2020 we will be implementing our first Young Water Fellowship national editions in Senegal and Ivory Coast, with the financial support of the Swiss Embassy for Development and Cooperation, Enabel and Besix Foundation. We recently visited with our team these countries, where we organised prospective meetings with young entrepreneurs and key public and private stakeholders. Young Senegalese and Ivorian entrepreneurs, keep your eyes open for the next calls for application!
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As culmination of the YWF East Africa start-up training in Uganda, YWS and TuriKumwe organised the Pitching Night, event held at SS Hotel Kampala on Saturday 23/11. Its main goal was to provide a platform to the 10 Young Water Fellows, for them to present in 2-3 minutes their business idea, followed by a networking and walking dinner. The 80 honourable guests who attended the event included water and environment experts, donors, social entrepreneurs and development partners implementing WASH/IWRM initiatives. Hon. Sylvia Rwabwogo, District Woman Representative for Kabarole District at Parliament of Uganda gave the opening remarks, publicly committing to support the YWF programme in future editions.The closing remarks were given...

In November (13th to 24th 2019) the 10 selected Young Water Fellows participated in a 10-days start-up training in Kampala, part of the Young Water Fellowship East Africa, delivered in partnership with cewas and Turi Kumwe Uganda.
The start-up training was the first stage of the one-year support programme, and enabled the Young Water Fellows to develop social business models that focused on solving a water, sanitation, hygiene or IWRM issue in their communities, while doing it from a gender and BoP (Base of the Pyramid) approach.
It included sessions such as Market Demand Analysis; Business Model Canvas; Customer Orientation; Value Proposition Design; Revenue Models, Operations planning, and water and gender, among others. According to the feedback survey completed by participants, 100% of their expectations...

Due to our development work, at Young Water Solutions we have recently been granted by the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs the possibility to issue certificates for Tax Benefits to our individual and corporate donors, for donations over €40.If you are in Belgium and would like to support our Young Water Fellowship Programme or our Fellows' work, please visit our Donate section on the website, and contact us at contribute@youngwatersolutions.org for a tax certificate.
Account holder: Young Water Solutions IBAN: BE07 3631 5983 9266 BIC Code: BBRU BE BB
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From April to June 2019, Young Water Solutions' Director Antonella Vagliente visited four Young Water Fellows in Kenya and Tanzania to monitor the progress on the implementation of their pilot projects.Aspects monitored included quality of the infrastructure, social and environmental impact, community engagement, stakeholders' engagement, O&M strategies in place, team management and potential for scaling up.
Young Water Fellows visited were:- Beth Koigi (Majik Water - Kenya - 2018 Fellow): Majik Water provides air-to-water technologies in water scarce areas. The pilot project consisted in testing a 50-liters machine in an orphanage, funded by the Global Water Partnership. [Top left photo].- Jonathan Nkungu (Sani Loan Initiative - Tanzania - 2018 Fellow): The Sani-Loan Initiative, implemented by Jonathan's NGO EEDS, builds latrines for rural families in Biharamulo...